(THE BEST OF FRIENDS) BY MALLERY, SUSAN(Author)Pocket Star Books[Publisher]Mass Market Paperback{The Best of Friends} on 28 Sep -2010

by Susan Mallery

In high school, studious Jayne Scott and wild child Rebecca Worden became unlikely best friends — a tie that endured even after Rebecca fled her family to live overseas. After Jayne’s mother passed away, she became part unpaid assistant, part surrogate daughter to the wealthy Wordens. But now, ten years later, Rebecca is coming home to L.A. to cause havoc for Elizabeth, the mother who all but rejected her. And Jayne finds herself pulled deeper into the Wordens’ complicated family dynamics - especially when Rebecca’s brother, David, returns as well.

David is the man Jayne always wanted and knew she could never have. But when he gravitates toward her in spite of Elizabeth’s protests, her vow to escape the family’s shadow is put to the ultimate test. And as lies are shattered and true feelings exposed, Jayne must decide where loyalty ends, and love begins. . . .

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Chick Lit, Adult, Ebooks

Mass Market Paperback

First published September 28, 2010

About the author

#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming and humorous novels about the relationships that define women's lives—family, friendship, romance. She's best known for putting nuanced characters into emotionally complex, real-life situations with twists that surprise readers to laughter. Because Susan is passionate about animal welfare, pets play a big role in her books. Beloved by millions of readers worldwide, her books have been translated into 28 languages.

Critics have dubbed Mallery "the new queen of romantic fiction." (Walmart) Booklist says, "Romance novels don't get much better than Mallery's expert blend of emotional nuance, humor, and superb storytelling," and RT Book Reviews puts her "in a class by herself!" It's no wonder that her books have spent more than 200 weeks on the USA Today bestsellers list.

Although Susan majored in Accounting, she never worked as an accountant because she was published straight out of college with two books the same month. Sixteen prolific years and seventy-four books later, she hit the New York Times bestsellers list for the first time with Accidentally Yours in 2008. She made many appearances in the Top 10 before (finally) hitting #1 in 2015 with Thrill Me, the twentieth book in her most popular series, the Fool's Gold romances, and the fourth of five books released that year.

Susan lives in Washington state with her husband, two ragdoll cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Her heart for animals has led Susan to become an active supporter of the Seattle Humane Society. Visit Susan online at www.SusanMallery.com.

Reviews

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t believe how much I hated each member of the Warden family, except Blaine, at one point or another in this one. Elizabeth was a given and she was such a great villain you couldn’t help but to hate her and feel good about it. I felt sorry for her family for having to deal with her. I was very sympathetic with Rebecca, until she showed how she really did learn the lessons her mother taught her and she learned them well. Even her big act at the end didn’t make me like her. David even had moments where I was cussing him out, mostly because he was so clueless and didn’t get was a drain his family was on Jane. Once his eyes were opened to that loved his actions at the end of this. I was happy with Blaine’s bold move at the end, he deserved some happiness. I really loved how he counseled David without telling him what to do or revealing his unhappy situation.

Jane was definitely too good for this family. I hated how they all seemed to put her down at one point or another. I also got why the move was something that she needed, the physical distance just as important as a mental one. I have hope that Texas will be a place where happiness finds her.

[Janga]

I’m not sure how to grade The Best of Friends. If it’s truly a stand-alone book, then the ending leaves me dissatisfied. In women’s fiction, an HEA for a couple is not enough. I want a clearer sense of closure for the women’s journeys. In this case, I particularly want to see more than just a hint of Rebecca’s redemption. If this is the first of a pair or more books, on the other hand, it leaves me primed for the continuation of the story. But I haven’t been able to find if there is to be another book. Thus my dilemma: if the book is a stand-alone, it’s a three-star read for me—an engrossing story but one that left me feeling cheated at the end. If Rebecca’s book is to follow, then it’s a 4.5 star book that leaves me eager to see this character suffer and grow and to discover whether even her growth is enough to salvage the relationships she destroyed.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed every Susan Mallery book I have read including this one. The Worden family dynamics was very interesting.

[Marjorie De Los Reyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best of Friends. from the title itself, I think that it is somehow catchy. And so, I borrowed this book from my friend. I borrowed it yesterday and today I had finished it.

Actually, I started reading it in school, during our lunch break. As I was reading the first part, I find it somehow boring and my attention is not really in it (or maybe there's just full of noise and chit-chats in our room so I can't concentrate.) But when I got home and started reading it again, I find it interesting, that led me to sleeping late at night (or should i say very early in the morning next day).

This book is not just all about romance. It discusses also about family, career, social status, and friends. I was really amazed by how Susan Mallery came up to this kind of story. It was actually good. This is a book that I can recommend for anyone who wants to read books that is not just all about love and romances, but also about life.

:)

[Monica Gearhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved every Susan Mallery book I’ve read. But the stand alones, always leave me hanging. This one left me wondering what is going to happen with Jayne and David.

[Jennifer Hines Hansel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 Stars ⭐️ Just not quite 4. I enjoyed this fun fluffy book. I needed a lighter book after that last one I’d read. This was just what I needed. Jayne & Rebecca have been “best friends” for years but haven’t seen each other in over a decade. Jayne grew up poor. Rebecca is an heir to a jewelry store like Tiffany’s. Her Mother, Elizabeth is an absolutely horrible snob of a woman. Hateful too! This book is about relationships of all kinds, so it’s not all fluff. Jayne has had a crush on Rebecca’s older brother since she was a teenager. He moves home as well.

[Lulu Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though nothing special I enjoyed reading about the dysfunctional relationship Jayen had with her pseudomother,
was fucked up really

[Andrea Kas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book until the end. Too much is left unfinished for my taste. I felt like one more chapter could have wrapped up what happened when Rebecca got to Dallas and whether or not she made amends with Jayne and David. I would have given 5 stars if not for the too abrupt ending.

[TinaNoir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book.

It is interesting because I don't think a lot of romance novel reading purists would actually like it as a romance novel. It borders on women's fiction even though there is a clear, centered love story with a defined H/h and a HEA. But what makes this book so darned interesting to me and probably why it might not be classified as pure romance is the weight given to all the stuff that is going on around the romance plot.

Jayne Scott is the main character and her life is inextricably entwined with the the wealthy Worden clan. Her best friend is Rebecca the rebellious daughter who has a hate/resentment relationship with her mother, Elizabeth. Jayne has always had a major crush on the eldest Worden son, Daniel. He is the super handsome golden boy who is the apple of his mother's eye. Blaine Worden is the benign head of the family. He has a soft spot for Jayne and is generally amiable. And then there is Elizabeth. She is the steely-eyed, society conscious, snobbish matriarch.

When Jayne was just a teenager, her own mother, a housekeeper to a neighbor of the Worden's died quickly and left Jayne alone, homeless and penniless. The Worden's took her in and she and Rebecca became fast friends. A lot of the texture of the book is about the shifting relationships between the Wordens themselves and with Jayne.

The book starts out very light and amusingly with both Rebecca and Daniel returning home both having lived abroad for many years. Both of them have their own reasons for coming back to LA. Jayne is just thrilled to see her best friend again and a little squirmy to know that the object of her long time unrequited lust/love is back home to stay. Their return sets off a series of family revelations.

So as I was reading I was really expecting a very simple contemporary romance. But about 2/3 of the way through a shift happens in the book. The characters, especially Rebbecca, become a bit deeper, more problematic and more intriguing. The drama ratchets up. The lightness disappears. The romance has more resonance and urgency. At first I was a bit jarred, thinking it was a bit of a bait and switch. But the more I read the more I realized that the earlier, lighter tone of the book was just that.. a tone. The groundwork for the characters and their later motivations had been laid. I just hadn't been paying attention.

I liked the trajectory of the romance. Daniel finally notices Jayne. He has a lot more substance than we are first led to believe. He was a great hero and I enjoyed the way he and Jayne were able to communicate.

Elizabeth is the villain of the book. And she is the great weakness of the book because she is a bit of a cardboard. It was very easy to hate her because she had no redeeming. But I enjoyed the positioning of her and Jayne's relationship in the larger picture because it added to the drama in a big way.

Rebecca is probably the most fascinating character study. She, more than any other character, embodies the my feeling of the flow of the story -- starting out one way and ending up another. I really had to think about this character as I closed the book.

The ending of the book was a bit abrupt. I turned the page and expected another chapter but didn't get it. I do expect that given he ending, we may see Rebbecca's story forthcoming. I would be very interested to read it.

[Francesca Marinaro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warm, comforting, and sweet--a mug of hot chocolate on a blustery fall afternoon. That was what I expected when I picked up this novel; that was what I got. IF you enjoy light, easy-on-the-brain romance fiction, you won't be disappointed. Susan Mallery's plot is predictable; we know precisely where and with whom the characters will wind up, but like the Jane Austen novels from which Mallery draws upon so heavily, the magic of this romantic story is not the thrill of finding out what happens in the end, but how the characters get there.
I liked the way that Mallery laid emphasis on David as the prize plumb; we're all aware--at least if we've read Pride and Prejudice--that "it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife," but all to often we forget that these young men, semeingly on the hunt for rich heiresses, are frequently the pawns in the match-making games of many an ambitious mother. Mallery drives this idea home (like an icepick to the brain) through Elizabeth's character. an interesting combination of Mrs. Bennet's irritating, nosy interference and Lady Catherine DeBurgh's haughty, overinflated opinion of self-worth, Elizabeth Worden might not be charming, but she's fully alive to the fact that, whether 19th century England or 21st Century Beverly Hills, the mother pulls the strings from which her son must dangle precariously on the marriage market.

If we're going to read this as a contemporary retelling of Pride and Prejudice, that's probably Mallery's strongest selling point; aside from that, between the frequent mentions of Austen, the teasing jab at the "long version of Pride and Prejudice...the Colin Firth version," and the Lifetime movie comparisons, I felt like I was being beaten over the head with cliches, though admittedly, I should have expected nothing less and only have myself to blame for not wearing my chicklit armor. I don't know whether Mallery was intending to convince her readers that her novel isn't just another retelling of Jane Austen or if she was trying to carve a creative niche for herself within that sub-genre; if the former, methinks the lady doth protest too much. IF the latter, the novel doesn't strike me as any better or worse than similar stories. Fans of Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones novels might appreciate the sexual tension (not to mention the wink and nudge in the direction of the "long version" of Pride and Prejudice that inspired the creation of Mark Darcy, but they'll miss the tongue-in-cheek
British humor and colorful pros that make
Fielding's novels the perfect blend of hilarious and heartwarming.

About the characters: I found them to be simply-rendered, but convincing. We have no problem cheering for Jane as she transforms from a shy, unassuming girl into a strong, self-assertive woman; we fall, with very little pushing, into David's open arms; we're alternately irritated with and sorry for Rebecca--I've-got-everything glamor girl on the outside, insecure child on the inside; we feel a savage pleasure as we witness Elizabeth's downfall.

Altogether not one of my personal favorites, but like that cup of hot chocolate, it hits the spot if you're in the mood for something warm and fluffy.

[Lindsey Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was SO good so sad but glad those who were meant to be happy got to be. Wish I could know now what happens now with Jayne and Rebecca? And does Rebecca and her dad make up and also with David? Again SO good I want more. 😊😊😍😍

[Aisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Best of Friends is not a romance story. While Jayne and Daniel has their own love story, Rebecca with her torrid affairs, and the rest of the Wordens with their own romance lapses, this is definitely not a romance story. Like its title, it tells us about the friendship between two very different woman, Jayne and Rebecca. Each comes from a very different society but incidentally becomes friends. At the beginning, I believe Rebecca has a heart under her facade. Yes, Rebecca is a selfish person. I don’t expect her to turn angelic but the story’s progress drives her character worse. She becomes the ultimate bitch in the story (if not her mother – which I am totally alright with her being so superficial – considering she is a secondary character). The men do not really have their own substance. I mean, now and then, we get a glimpse of what they are thinking, but that’s it. It just comes and goes. Jayne is a push-over, goody-two-shoes, with a specific allergy to the riches. I like Jayne and Rebecca and when they’re together as friends, great. Both of them are not perfect and the dynamics between the characters (all of them) are quite interesting.
The ending seems loose. It leaves us the question about the outcome. Will Rebecca get Jayne’s forgiveness or not? Since it is a stand-alone book, we’ll never get the question answered. It will depend on the reader.
The upside is it is a unique book with not-oh-so-perfect characters. Real characters. I just wish the author will give a little heart for Rebecca’s mother and a little substance to the male counterparts.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an interesting change from the typical Mallery plots. This book definitely had some nonredeemable characters, which is often a challenge to read. You want to like everyone for something, but these folks left little to work with.

Jayne Scott has lived through some tragedy in her life. Her mother died when she was young, but fortunately, Jayne was invited to stay with a wealthy family while she grew up. This family, The Wordens, helped her graduate from college and buy a small condo, but they made her pay a very different price with her life than money. The narcissistic mother and daughter have drained Jayne for years, but because of her giving nature, she doesn’t realize that anything is amiss. That is, until she recognizes her love for the Worden’s prodigal son, David.

The complicated relationships between Jayne and the women in this story was truly amazing to read. I’m continually impressed at Mallery’s ability to keep me interested in all her books. The depth of these characters and the emotions that Jayne went through trying to understand the motivations of those around her was immense. A difficult book to read at times, I really enjoyed this book by the time I was done.

If you are looking for a more fiction-than-romance book by a romance author, this is a great book to pick up. Really interesting characters, the plot was interesting, and the relationships between all the characters was very captivating. Good stuff!

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t think I’ll be seeking out this author. It was mildly entertaining, but so laden with clichés and silly plot assumptions that it was has to get through. The author writes about an uber rich family in a way that seems superficial and forced. The plot, if you changed the year and location could have been a Disney movie. A modern day Cinderella. Super rich jewelers take in a poor orphan girl, and while they help her and pay for her college, they treat her like an unpaid servant. The worst offender is the mother Elizabeth. When the rich son falls in love with the orphan Jayne, Elizabeth wants the relationship stopped. Eventually Elizabeth’s husband dumps her and rich boy moves his company to Dallas (from California) to be by Jayne and she agrees to marry him. Lots of assumptions about the shallow rich and how they treat others. Silly and predictable. And, the big ending is rich girl comes across a church in a poor neighborhood and “donates” a perfect blue diamond worth millions. How the poor priest would ever sell it is unclear. Shades is Ghost when Whoopi signs over the check to nuns - but at least the nuns could cash the check, the blue diamond not so easy for an average person to liquidate.

[Marcia Haskell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book! Interesting characters, interesting dynamics between all of the characters, interesting variety of personalities and backgrounds. The fascinating feature of this book is the way each of the characters views the world when the book starts and the way most of them are changed by the dynamics of the interactions. I found myself disliking, but understanding the reasons for the mother and daughter's actions and view of Jayne, David and Blaine. The behavior of Jayne, David and Blaine was less comprehensible to me. I loved each of them as individuals, but found their inability to understand and correct the things that were wrong a little contrived. In the end it all comes right, but they had to run away to do so. In my mind a confrontation would have been more satisfying.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I generally liked this book. I did have a little problem with how evil Rebecca's mother was. While I'm sure there are people THAT evil in the world, I have never come across any. I also felt that Blaine lacked credibility; he just placidly tolerated all his wife's bad behavior all those years, including the 10 year estrangement from Rebecca, then he just suddenly leaves her for another woman and moves the company to Dallas so Jayne and David can be together. I did really like Jayne and David. I didn't like Rebecca as much, but I don't think we were really supposed to. I did think she reacted true to character and liked her turn-around at the end.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the premise that Jayne is Rebecca’s best friend, David is Rebecca’s brother, and they find themselves wanting to get to know each other better as adults. The lavish high-end jewelry industry as a background for their romance to unfold should have been a bonus. Unfortunately, this book had more drama and “bad guys” than I am used to in a Susan Mallery novel. There were entire storylines about unlikeable characters that took away from Jayne and David. I will always enjoy a Susan Mallery book, but with 150 published works, there are bound to be some that I like less than others. This is one of those books for me.

[Suelibevg · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read by one of my favorite authors. Jayne Scott has been taken in by the Wordens and has been grateful forever and is still paying. Her best friend is Rebecca Worden and Jayne serves as an upaid minion to mom Elizabeth. When she finally gets up close and personal with her longtime crush, David, Rebecca's brother, that's when the trouble starts. Would you give up your family for love? Would you be willing to walk away from your one true love because you couldn't take being in the same city as his toxic mother and sister? Read the book and find out. You won't be sorry.

[Christie«SHBBblogger» · Rating 2 out of 5]

Susan Mallery is one of my new favorite authors but this is nothing like the others I've read. There just wasn't that much chemistry with the main characters and the book didn't really pull me in like it should. I started skimming towards the middle of the book trying to finish it quickly. It wasn't terrible but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone-especially if they've never read her other books.

[Luisa Rivas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. It not only had a lovely love story, but a story of a friendship that deteriorated into enmity, another friendship that suffered through selfishness. It had funny moments and sad moments. There was more darkness than in other previous novels, so it was very interesting. As always, her novels are a great and entertaining read.

[Duffy Pearce · Rating 2 out of 5]

KInda Harlequin Romance — which lord knows I used to read. I didn't give them up not for shame (because I have none) but because I'm too old to think that finding your soul mate is life's great quest.

I seem to need more suspense and dead bodies in my trashy reading now

[Cocktails and Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fabulous!!!!!

[Danielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I first rated this book a 3 star but i'm changing it to a 1 star. It was a slow read with not a very big execution for the ending.

[Amanda Green · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read it
I didn’t love it
I didn’t hate it
I only kind of liked it
Felt very predictable

[Jennifer Robb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friend sent me this in a box of books. I've read Susan Mallery before but not often.

At first, I admired that Jayne's and Rebecca's friendship had endured for such a long period of time and under so many different conditions. I do hope that some part of their friendship at some time was real. The ending between them left me wondering.

I think a lot of Rebecca's issues with David and Jayne stemmed from her not realize that loving one person doesn't mean you can't still love someone else. She felt, possibly incorrectly, that Jayne and David would have each other and she would be left out/left alone with neither of them. I don't think that would have been the case. The same thing happened in a less intense way when Katie showed up as Jayne's friend. (I mean did Rebecca really think Jayne had no other friends in 10 years?)

Marjorie seems like a kind-hearted woman and sensible enough to give good advice to David. I hope she and Blaine find the kind of love they both deserve.

I'm not sure David is really good enough for Jayne--but maybe he is trying to be less selfish-thinking. Hopefully Blaine and Marjorie will be the guides he needs to move to being a man who can truly love his wife.

The Negatives:
*Both Elizabeth and Blaine have affairs. That's disappointing. I'm not one to say get divorced willy-nilly but if the marriage is really that unfulfilling, I'd rather they get divorced and move on than cheat on each other.
*The entire Worden family (except possibly for Blaine) are selfish and entitled. Drop your job so you can help me plan my parties! How could you accept a job that will make you move away without consulting me (nevermind that I did it to you 10 years ago)? Etc.
*For Elizabeth especially everything seems to be about appearance--how will this look to others; what will they be saying about me; my children have to marry just the right person so that it reflects well on me; look what I did for poor Jayne who lost her mother . . .
*Sex outside of marriage: I have a hard time with that concept and it's quite abundant in this book. Blaine and Elizabeth while she was his secretary and then she got pregnant with David (not sure if that was intentional to trap Blaine or an accident and he lived up to his obligation); Rebecca both with Nigel and with Jonathan; David and Jayne.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story
When Jayne was in high school, her mom was a housekeeper in a big house in a fancy LA suburb. When she started school in the area, she made friends with Rebecca Worden, daughter of a jewellery dynasty. When Jayne’s mother died from breast cancer, she was taken in by Rebecca’s family. But the family had issues. Mother Elizabeth resented her daughter, father Blaine is kind but can’t stand up to his controlling wife, and son David escaped to travel the world. Jayne is a nurse, and Rebecca’s parents have supported her financially, in exchange for free PA services to Elizabeth. But now David (who Jayne has always had a crush on) is back and looking to settle down, Rebecca also returns after a heartbreak.

My thoughts
Elizabeth and Rebecca have really toxic and controlling personalities, my favourite parts of the story are when Jayne stands up to them. This story reminded me of a modern day Jane Austen novel (“Jayne”), the way the “spinster” friend is unpaid hired help (and referred to like this by the supposed friend). Tucked away in the book is a reference to Austen which gave me an “aha” moment. The snobbery of what people will think about the family, the overt search to find a suitable wife for the son and heir David. The title is ironic as Jayne and Rebecca seem to me to be anything but friends. I have read several of Susan Mallery’s books but this wasn’t a favourite for me.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jayne's mom died when she was in high school, leaving her totally alone in the world. But her best friend Rebecca's ultra rich family took her in and even paid for her college. Now she has a job she lives as a nurse. But she's had a crush on Rebecca's older brother David since high school and no one else can compare to him. He's been traveling the world, learning about his family's jewelry business, but has finally decided to come home. Meanwhile, tempestuous Rebecca had a fight with her mom, Elizabeth, when she was 18 and has traveled the world ever since. And her mom never tried to contact her. At home, Jane has acted as an unpaid personal assistant to Elizabeth for those 10 years because she felt like she owed the family. But with both David and Rebecca coming home, Jayne is about to be thrown for a loop.

This family was so heinous, that I genuinely hoped that Jayne would move to Dallas and just leave them all behind. They were awful. I did enjoy reading this one, but I'm knocking this down a full star for that bullshit ending for Rebecca. That was lame an unsatisfying.

[Hannah Avendaño · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn’t decide between 3 and 4 stars but the ending was unsatisfying so I went down to 3. I liked the love story but the friendship part of the story drove me nuts and made me frustrated. Also, the ending wasn’t my favorite for 2 reasons: 1- it was pretty abrupt and left me feeling like it was rushed or needed more to it and 2- the change of heart by the friend wasn’t convincing and left me angry that the friendship would be intact even though it shouldn’t have been. Honestly, I don’t think there was any way to make the ending satisfying after the conflict in the book. They make up, I’m angry on behalf of Jayne. They don’t make up, it seems pointless to have made the story so friend-focused in the first place. I knew before I actually made it to the ending that it would be highly unlikely to leave me feeling good about it. I love Susan Mallery’s romance series but I’ve yet to read one of her fiction/sisters fiction/friend fiction books that I’ve actually loved.

[Julie Eichelberger-Ford · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Best of Friends is a story of falling for your best friend's brother and the conflicts that arise because of the relationship. This was a good story but the ending felt like it left me hanging. There were lovable characters and characters that were just mean. Jayne's mom died of cancer when she was a teen and she went to live with her best friend Rebecca's rich family. She always felt that she owed them everything, so she became an unpaid personal assistant, a peace maker and just about everything they needed. She has always had a secret crush on Rebecca's brother, David. When Elizabeth (the mom) asks Jayne to help David find a house, things start to change. David is tired of traveling and wants to settle down and marry. Jayne has always been off limits because of her friendship with Rebecca but now that they are older, David is seeing the real Jayne and developing feelings. As their relationship grows, problems arise and threaten to destroy what they have. A good story.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read from beginning to end. This is the story of Jayne, a nurse who has no real family, and the people who she thought were her family. When Jayne's mother died during Jayne's senior year of high school, her BFF Rebecca's wealthy family took her in and ended up sending her to college. Afterward, she became the mother, Elizabeth's unpaid assistant. Rebecca, spoiled and entitled as she was, ran off and traveled the world. This story begins with Rebecca's return to LA.

David, Rebecca's older brother also returns to LA to begin taking over the family business (big $$ jewelry). He has known Jayne for years, but for the first time, he finally "sees" her. Jayne has always had a crush on David and is flattered by the attention. Their relationship sends the entire family into a crazy spiral of discontent. Lots of both positive and negative things happen. Interesting and fun read.